Thales has secured an order from the French defence procurement agency (DGA) to provide new avionics equipment for Dassault Aviation Rafale aircraft.
The order will see Thales provide 350 Scorpion helmet-mounted sight and display systems and digital multi-function displays.
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The systems will be rolled out for all the Rafales that are in service with the French Air and Space Force and the French Navy.
Thales will also provide 400 digital multi-function displays as part of the contract.
The helmet-mounted sight and display systems will improve operational effectiveness and tactical situational awareness for the French Rafale F4 standard.
Thales Flight Avionics vice-president Jean-Paul Ebanga said: “When the success of a mission is decided in a fraction of a second, aircrews must be able to understand the tactical environment quickly and interact intuitively with the aircraft’s systems.
“We are delighted to have this opportunity to provide future Rafale F4 crews with an operational advantage that will be critical to the success of their missions, thanks to latest-generation equipment offering advanced display capabilities and enhanced interaction with the weapon systems.”
The helmet-mounted display systems combine information from the aircraft’s on-board sensors to allow pilots to perform their missions even in complex operational scenarios.
Combined with the weapon system, the display system can be used to track and identify targets anywhere in the crew’s field of view both during day and night-time.
According to Thales, the new equipment offers a larger display area and an enhanced touchscreen interface. The equipment also provides higher processing power.
The 400 digital multi-function displays that are part of the latest order will replace the lateral displays on France’s in-service Rafale aircraft.
In January 2019, Dassault Aviation confirmed the receipt of the F4-standard development contract for the Rafale combat aircraft.
